Memorial Day Travelers Greeted with Real Time Traffic Info on Turnpike, Route 3 and the Mid-Cape Highway

48 new boards turned on today; 200 miles of road covered with real time info

BOSTON- Friday, May 24, 2013 – Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey and Highway Administrator Frank DePaola announced the deployment of 48 message boards along the Massachusetts Turnpike, Route 3 on the South Shore and the Mid-Cape highway that now display real time traffic information.

“MassDOT is pleased to provide this information to residents and visitors to the Commonwealth,” said Secretary Davey. “We hope they will use this service to add some predictably to their lives and also serve as a reliable resource to help them make decisions on taking alternative routes or using public transit.”

Beyond the real time displays on the highway, the data will be fed to MassDOT’s website and an open data feed for phone app developers will follow in the coming weeks.

“I would like to extend my thanks to the MassDOT and Highway Division staff who have worked diligently to bring this innovative, customer –orientated info to the motoring public,” said Administrator DePaola. “We hope our customers will benefit from this information and we look forward to further expansion.”

The new real time traffic boards will be operating 7-days per week from 5a.m. to 10p.m. and updated every 3 minutes with new information. A unique identifier and a time stamp are created when a Bluetooth enabled device, like a cell phone in a car, passes one of the road-side detectors. When the device passes a second detector, an algorithm is performed using the time stamps and the unique identifier to arrive at the travel time that is displayed on the boards. A driver’s identity remains anonymous.

Travelers along the I-93 corridor have been receiving this information since last July 4th. The expansion cost $2.2 million and is funded through a combination of toll revenue and state funds. MassDOT’s Highway Operations Center has the ability to override the boards in the event of an extended incident or emergency.

Route 6 from Orleans to Bourne– 6 boards/40 miles
• 1 Eastbound
• 5 Westbound
• This installation will be removed in the fall and replaced with permanent boards to be installed in 2014.

For transportation news and updates visit MassDOT at our website: www.mass.gov/massdot, blog: www.mass.gov/blog/transportation, or follow MassDOT on twitter at www.twitter.com/massdot and Facebook at www.facebook.com/massdotinfo.
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